A Washington Commanders helmet. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Washington Commanders considering another name change?

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jun 3, 2024 3:07 PM ET

The Washington Commanders have been known by three different names over the last five years.

And after a recent Washington Post poll revealed that 58% of fans don’t like the Commanders’ current nickname, it sounds like the team is at least open to possibly changing the name again down the road based on recent remarks made by Marjorie Harris, the wife of Commanders majority owner Josh Harris.

“As you would imagine, everybody has an opinion about the name,” Harris said, via NBC4 Sports. “Some good, some bad, some in the middle. I think that we have a lot of work to do, so that name issue is going to be on the side for now until we can get things going. Quite frankly, I had a whole day out in the community, and I kept referring to the team as the Commanders. And you know what? It sounds pretty good to me. So for now, it's the Commanders.”

After an 82-year run as the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 2019, the franchise started going by the Washington Football Team during the 2020 and 2021 seasons before rebranding as the Commanders in 2022.

Washington Post.

While it seems the team’s new ownership group is at least open to the idea of changing the name again, it sounds like they’re also hoping fans warm up to the Commanders name as the front office begins putting its stamp on the franchise and changing much of what didn’t work under former owner Daniel Snyder.

“This year, it's about our organization,” Harris said. “Last year was a little about finding our way and not being able to make the changes that we were hoping to make until we had the opportunity to do it — now we did. We're all really excited about what this team is starting to look like and what hopefully can happen with a little bit of luck and magic and skill and hard work.”

The Washington Post poll also showed that 51% of Washington-area sports fans want the Commanders’ next stadium to be built in the D.C. area as opposed to where the team currently plays in Landover, Maryland, which is roughly five miles east of D.C.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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